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Dr. Johnson's Critique of Shakespeare

Dr. Johnson's "Preface to Shakespeare" analyzes Shakespeare as a dramatist according to neoclassical standards of the time. Johnson praises Shakespeare for his fidelity to human nature and realistic portrayal of characters. He depicts humans as they truly are, with love being just one passion among many. While Shakespeare combines comic and tragic elements, violating rules of time and place, Johnson argues this reflects reality and does not undermine the quality of his plays. However, Johnson also notes Shakespeare is not entirely faultless, criticizing aspects of his plots, comic scenes, and disproportionate style in some tragedies.

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94 views1 page

Dr. Johnson's Critique of Shakespeare

Dr. Johnson's "Preface to Shakespeare" analyzes Shakespeare as a dramatist according to neoclassical standards of the time. Johnson praises Shakespeare for his fidelity to human nature and realistic portrayal of characters. He depicts humans as they truly are, with love being just one passion among many. While Shakespeare combines comic and tragic elements, violating rules of time and place, Johnson argues this reflects reality and does not undermine the quality of his plays. However, Johnson also notes Shakespeare is not entirely faultless, criticizing aspects of his plots, comic scenes, and disproportionate style in some tragedies.

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ayesha ijaz
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INTRODUCTION: 

Dr. Johnson is one of the greatest critics. As a literary critic he was an exponent of
classicism. He condemned everything that did not conform to classical doctrines. He is almost always
penetrating and stimulating. His 'Preface to Shakespeare' is considered as one of the noblest
monuments of English neo-classical criticism. His judgment of Shakespeare marks the date in the history
of criticism.

FIDELITY TO FACTS OF NATURE: 'The Preface to Shakespeare' deals with Johnson's judgment of


Shakespeare as a dramatist. According to Johnson, the basic requirement of literary greatness is fidelity
to facts of nature. This is clearly the neo-classical theory of art as imitation. Johnson praises Shakespeare
for meeting this requirement fully and most satisfactorily. According to him, Shakespeare is, par
excellence, the poet of nature. He holds up to his readers a faithful mirror of manners and of life. His
characters have a universal appeal. They act and speak like human beings. They are commonly a species.

SHAKESPEARE'S REALISM: Johnson has praised Shakespeare's realism. He says that his depiction of the
truth of human nature and human psychology is praiseworthy. He portrayed human characters in a
realistic manner. His plays are full of practical axioms and domestic wisdom. He does not depict love as
the major human motive and emotion. He knew that love is only one of many passions. It has no great
influence upon the totality of life. Thus it has little operation in the drama of Shakespeare. Johnson
discusses the realistic quality of Shakespeare's dialogues too.

MINGLING OF TRAGIC AND COMIC ELEMENT: ‘In Preface to Shakespeare’ Dr. Johnson defends
Shakespeare for his mingling of the tragic and comic elements in his plays on the grounds of realism and
historical background. According to him such mingling only serves to show us the world in which the loss
of one man is the gain of another. In other words, Shakespeare was equally at home in writing tragic and
comic plays. He could combine comic and tragic elements in one and the same play. Almost all his plays
are divided between serious and ludicrous characters and they sometimes produce sorrow and
sometimes laughter.

THREE UNITIES: Shakespeare has been charged for his neglect of the unities of time and place. But
Johnson defends him in this matter. According to him this neglect is not really a fault. He argues that if
an audience in a theatre can accept the stage as a locality in the city of Rome, they will also accept the
change from Rome to Alexandria. The unity of time may likewise be violated on the same principle. He
concludes this discussion by saying that the unities of time and place are not essential to a good play.

FAULTS OF SHAKESPEARE: In his "Preface" Johnson defends Shakespeare in many matters, but he does
not consider him to be a faultless dramatist. According to him, Shakespeare tries more to please his
audience than to instruct them. It seems that he writes without any moral purpose. His plots are often
very loosely formed and carelessly pursued. His comic scenes are seldom very successful. In such scenes
the jests are generally indecent. Johnson does not take a favourable view of Shakespeare's tragic plays.
He accuses him of employing a disproportionate pomp of diction. He condemns Shakespeare for
inappropriate use of idle conceit and his over-fondness for quibbles.

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